Development

Here is a link to the currently adopted Township fee schedule for various applications and permits:

As required by our Zoning Ordinance No. 20-06 and the Michigan Zoning Enabling Act (Public Act 110 of 2006, as amended), a site plan must be approved upon determination by the approving body (Planning Commission or Zoning Administrator) that:

1. All required information for the type of site plan has been provided per Section 14.2.P (Required Site Plan Information) of the Township’s Zoning Ordinance No. 20-06;
2. The site plan satisfies all applicable standards for approval per Section 14.2.S (Standards for Site Plan Approval) of the Township’s Zoning Ordinance No. 20-06; and
3. The site plan conforms to all other applicable requirements and standards of the Zoning Ordinance and other Township ordinances, and is consistent with the policies of the Township’s adopted Master Plan and other adopted Township planning documents.

The non-refundable review fee for development and zoning-related applications is intended to help cover at least part of the Township’s fixed costs for processing the application and anticipated staff time needed to review and respond to the application.

The refundable escrow deposit amount is intended to be sufficient to cover the Township’s variable costs associated with the application, which can include preparation, publication, and mailing of any required public hearing notices, and the costs of any professional consultations (land use planning, engineering, legal services, etc.) determined necessary for a complete review of the application.

The refundable escrow deposit amount is used to cover the Township’s variable costs associated with an application, which can include preparation, publication, and mailing of any required public hearing notices, and the costs of any professional consultations (land use planning, engineering, legal services, etc.) determined necessary for a complete review of the application.

Following completion of the application review process and recording of all associated charges against the deposited funds as described above, any remaining balance of the escrow deposit will be refunded by check mailed to the applicant.  For site plan approval projects, this refund is typically processed following completion of the associated construction.  For other applications, this refund is typically processed for check authorization by our Board of Trustees within 65 days of the conclusion of the application review process.

To provide sufficient time to review the application for accuracy and completeness, and to prepare, publish, and mail the required public hearing notices in accordance with the minimum 15-calendar day lead time required by our Zoning Ordinance No. 20-06 and the Michigan Zoning Enabling Act (Public Act 110 of 2006, as amended).

Staff strives to prepare and deliver agenda packets with all applications and reports to the approving body (Planning Commission, Zoning Board of Appeals, etc.) about one week ahead of the meeting.

This is intended to provide sufficient time to verify that the application is accurate and complete, and for completion of staff and any consultant reviews of the application.  Staff strives to prepare and deliver agenda packets with all applications and reports to the approving body (Planning Commission, Zoning Board of Appeals, etc.) about one week ahead of the meeting.

The list of details needed for each type of site plan application can be found in Section 14.2.P (Required Site Plan Information) of the Township’s Zoning Ordinance No. 20-06.

The standards for approval that apply to each type of site plan application can be found in Section 14.2.S (Standards for Site Plan Approval) of the Township’s Zoning Ordinance No. 20-06.

The minor site plan application process was added to the Zoning Ordinance to allow for administrative review of a limited range of low intensity projects that do not include significant engineering or design details.  Projects eligible for an administrative minor site plan approval are typically smaller in scope and impact, such as a change of use for or limited expansion of a multiple-family or non-residential building, limited expansion of a parking lot or other small-scale site improvements, sidewalk, pathway, and barrier-free access improvements, and incidental changes or building modifications during construction.

See Section 14.2.C (Site Plan Approval Required) of the Township’s Zoning Ordinance No. 20-06 for a complete list.

The applicant is responsible for obtaining all necessary permits or approvals from applicable outside agencies, prior to submitting an application for final site plan approval.

Approval of a preliminary site plan by the Planning Commission indicates its general acceptance of the proposed layout of buildings, streets, drives, parking areas, and other facilities and areas. This approval action provides assurances to the applicant that the overall character and concept of their development project is acceptable and aligned with Township ordinances.

Preliminary site plan approval also provides clear direction to the applicant that the project is ready for the next steps of final engineering, securing of relevant outside agency approvals, and preparation of a final site plan application for approval prior to the start of construction.

Approval of a minor site plan or a final site plan constitutes the final zoning approval for the project and allows for issuance of a building permit to begin site work or construction, provided all other construction and engineering requirements have been met.

The following list includes both a list of “required” outside agency approvals typically needed prior to submittal of any final site plan application, and a separate list for additional outside agencies that may apply in some more limited circumstances specific to a given site or project.

The PUD Option in Section 3.19 of the Zoning Ordinance No. 20-06 (ADD LINK) offers an opportunity for collaboration between a developer and the Township and encourages innovation in land use planning and site design.  The PUD Option also provides additional flexibility related to development and land use standards, creating a path by which a creative and innovative development project can be considered for approval even though it may not fit neatly into the boxes of the existing zoning districts.  However, it should be noted that the PUD Option is not intended as a means to broadly toss out or ignore applicable Ordinance standards.

Section 3.19.B (Regulatory Flexibility) is included in the Ordinance to provide guidance related to consideration by the Township of proposed “limited deviations” from Zoning Ordinance standards that would otherwise apply to the development project.  Such deviations must be consistent with the PUD Statement of Purpose and result in a higher quality of development than would be possible without the granting of the deviations.

In addition to this provision, the PUD Option provides flexibility related to allowable land uses.  Section 3.19.C (Permitted Uses and Density) allows for a broader mix of land uses that are “compatible with the goals objectives, and policies of the Master Plan, including the future land use designation(s) for the site, unless the Planning Commission determines that conditions have changed significantly since the Plan was prepared or new information supports a change.”

The required application information and details needed for the associated PUD Concept Plan (conceptual development plan) can be found in Section 3.19 (PUD, Planned Unit Development District) of the Zoning Ordinance No. 20-06.

Construction of a private road can reduce the cost of development as compared in some cases to development of new public roads.  A private road option also provides landowners with the ability to make more efficient use of their land in cases where construction of a new public road is not possible, and may allow in some circumstances for establishment of additional lots under the Land Division Act (Public Act 288 of 1967, as amended).

The current Private Road Ordinance No. 24-01 (ADD LINK) was also established by our Board of Trustees to establish minimum safety standards for maintenance of existing private roads and shared driveways to ensure that emergency vehicles and utility company equipment have safe and unobstructed access to all lots on a private road at all times.

Use of the subdivision plat process to divide land into new development lots can reduce the overall cost of development as compared to the more legally complicated site condominium option under the state Condominium Act.  More importantly for investors in the new lots, a subdivision plat provides more certainty and minimizes potential variables related to what they are buying.  In a site condominium, buyers are subject to additional rules and uncertainty associated with future actions or inactions of an overall governing board under the Condominium Master Deed and Bylaws.  In addition, a subdivision plat offers far fewer restrictions on the number or arrangement of new lots as compared to the byzantine rules that apply to (unplatted) metes-and-bounds land division under the Land Division Act (Public Act 288 of 1967, as amended).